Female
hideFemale (♀) is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces mobile ova (egg cells). The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male. A female individual cannot reproduce sexually without access to the gametes of a male (an exception is parthenogenesis). Some organisms can reproduce both sexually and asexually.
There is no single genetic mechanism behind sex differences in different species and the existence of two sexes seems to have evolved multiple times independently in different evolutionary lineages. Other than the defining difference in the type of gamete produced, differences between males and females in one lineage cannot always be predicted by differences in another. The concept is not limited to animals; egg cells are produced by chytrids, diatoms, water moulds and land plants, among others. In land plants, female and male designate not only the egg- and sperm-producing organisms and structures, but also the structures of the sporophytes that give rise to male and female plants.
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News tagged with females
What she sees in you -- facial attractiveness explained
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Aug 24, 2009 |
3.2 / 5 (19) |
10
(PhysOrg.com) -- When it comes to potential mates, women may be as complicated as men claim they are, according to psychologists.
Men and women may need different diets: research
Jul 16, 2008 |
3.9 / 5 (14) |
0
Diet can strongly influence how long you live and your reproductive success, but now scientists have discovered that what works for males can be very different for females.
Research sheds light on benefits of multiple mates
Biology /
Nov 20, 2008 |
4.8 / 5 (11) |
1
New research could explain why females of many species have multiple partners. Published on Friday 21 November 2008 in leading journal Science, the study was carried out by a team from the Universities of Exeter (UK), Okayam ...
Neurobiologist proposes 'The end of sex as we once knew it'
Feb 02, 2009 |
4.1 / 5 (10) |
4
(PhysOrg.com) -- Women are not from Venus any more than men are from Mars. But even though both sexes are perfectly terrestrial beings, they are not lacking in other differences. And not only in their reproductive organs ...
Mom was right: Why nice guys usually get the girls
Nov 05, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (9) |
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- Female water striders often reject their most persistent and aggressive suitors and prefer the males who aren't so grabby, according to new research. Water striders are insects commonly seen ...
Studies suggest males have more personality
Nov 18, 2009 |
3.7 / 5 (9) |
3
(PhysOrg.com) -- Males have more pronounced personalities than females across a range of species - from humans to house sparrows - according to new research. Consistent personality traits, such as aggression ...
Overweight male teens with normal blood pressures showing signs of heart damage
Jun 01, 2009 |
4.4 / 5 (7) |
0
Even while their blood pressures are still normal, overweight male teens may have elevated levels of a hormone known to increase pressures as well as early signs of heart damage, researchers say.
Female guppies risk death to avoid sexual harassment
Biology /
Aug 06, 2008 |
4.8 / 5 (4) |
0
Sexual harassment from male guppies is so bad that long-suffering females will risk their lives to escape it, according to new research from Dr Safi Darden and Dr Darren Croft from Bangor University. Their work, which was ...
Study shows males are more tolerant of same-sex peers
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Feb 11, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (4) |
1
Women have traditionally been viewed as being more social and cooperative than men. However, there is recent evidence that this may not be the case. In fact, studies have shown that men maintain larger social networks with ...
Hidden genitalia in female water striders makes males 'sing'
Jun 11, 2009 |
3.8 / 5 (5) |
0
In a study published in PLoS ONE June 10, Chang Seok Han and Piotr Jablonski at Seoul National University, Korea, report that by evolving a morphological shield to protect their genitalia from males' forceful copulatory attemp ...
Should females trust showy males?
Aug 21, 2009 |
3.6 / 5 (5) |
4
(PhysOrg.com) -- How honest are males when using sexual displays to signal their eligibility to females?
Good males are bad fathers
Jun 25, 2009 |
3.8 / 5 (4) |
2
Contrary to predictions, males of high genetic quality are not very successful when it comes to fertilizing eggs. A new study on seed beetles by Swedish and Danish scientists Göran Arnqvist and Trine Bilde shows that when ...
Researchers track lobster migrations to improve population estimates
Biology /
Dec 09, 2008 |
4.7 / 5 (3) |
0
Jason Goldstein checks his lobster traps in New Hampshire's Great Bay Estuary once a week, but not for tasty crustaceans to sell. Instead, the University of New Hampshire Ph.D. candidate is fitting these lobsters ...
Female monkeys more dominant in groups with relatively more males
Biology /
Jul 16, 2008 |
4.3 / 5 (3) |
0
Female monkeys are more dominant when they live in groups with a higher percentage of males. This is caused by self-organisation. This surprising discovery was made by researchers at the University of Groningen. What makes ...
New study shows that in horse play, adult-to-young ratio is key
Mar 17, 2009 |
4.3 / 5 (3) |
0
Adults of many animal species play a crucial role in the social development of youngsters. A new study published March 18 in the online, peer-reviewed, open-access journal PLoS ONE, reveals that the ratio of adults to you ...
